Being Looked After
by tulitennant
Summary: The Doctor's not feeling too great, luckily Clara's there to lend a hand.
1. Chapter 1

"Ouch!" Clara squealed, as her morning tea seemed to burn a hole through her tongue,

"Too hot?" the Doctor muttered, as he fiddled about with the TARDIS console,

"How did you guess?" she replied sarcastically, she had a habit of doing that, when she wanted to impress someone she suddenly became cutting and competitive, god knows why, as she thought this, the Doctor swiftly whipped out his sonic screwdriver and it let out its gentle whir as he directed it at her mug,

"That alright?"

"Perfect, thanks" Clara exclaimed, as she sipped her perfectly warm tea, as she enjoyed it, the Doctor let out a sneeze.

"What was that?" she said, surprised

"What do you think it was? A sneeze" he replied, defensively

"I've never heard you sneeze!"

"Well, there's a first time for everything, I assume" he grunted, as his voice became hoarse, he let out another sneeze as his cheeks started to flush scarlet.

"You're sure you're not sick, Doctor?" Clara asked, he'd been sneezing and coughing constantly, he even dozed off while he was checking whatever was underneath the console, she could tell he was ill.

"I'm fine!" He shouted, letting out a cough in the meantime, "let's go then, shall we?" his nose snuffled as he tried to resist sneezing once again, he failed and let our an even more enormous one than before,

"We're not going anywhere, you're getting better before we leave this TARDIS!" Clara was putting her foot down, but he wouldn't listen and fastened his bow tie as he pushed at the doors, they wouldn't budge.

"See! Even the TARDIS agrees that you're sick" Clara felt smug as she spoke the words, the TARDIS never agreed with her, but nevertheless the TARDIS let out a low hum, an agreeable hum, and the Doctor knew he had been beaten.

The next thing he knew he was in fluffy pajamas, under a thick duvet next to a roaring fire, he'd never admit it but this was exactly what he wanted, but where was Clara? Almost instantaneously she floated through the doorway, with a steaming mug in her hand,

"Tea?" he whispered, his throat was very sore, and he could barely get the words out,

"Not just any tea" she replied in her light northern accent, "special tea! My mum used to make it for me, helps your throat feel better" her voice was like a song to his ears, the words ringing in his mind long after they'd been said.

"Thank you"

"No problem, now before you drink that you've got to open your mouth, thermometer coming through" she said these words as she inserted to cold item through his barely parted lips, soon enough she took it out.

"Woah! You're about a degree away from death, you're not going anywhere until this fever's gone down".

Secretly, the Doctor was just a little bit happy, he liked being taken care of, it was something he seldom experienced, but it put a warm feeling in his belly, a fluffy feeling, like he knew he was wanted. By now Clara had put on some relaxing piano music, one of her many CDs she brought to the TARDIS, and he was being lulled into his slumber, he could hear her gentle breathing as she sat next to him, warming up next to the fire, he was feeling better already.


	2. Chapter 2

Clara watched him sip at his tea, his lips were chapped and his nose was red; she didn't care about that, he still looked perfect. He tilted the mug near vertical as he tried his hardest to catch the remaining drops, "That was delicious!" his voice didn't crack so much then, he was obviously getting better.

"Another?" Clara knew that's what he wanted

"I wouldn't say no" he replied as she gracefully stood up and took his mug, she floated away as beautifully as she arrived. As Clara poured the boiled water into his favourite mug, she could hear his heavy breathing, she couldn't stop thinking about him, not that she wanted to stop. She stirred the tea until it was just right, and slowly, so as not to spill any, made her way to where the Doctor was. And there he lay, tucked in a mountain of warmth, fast asleep.

She had decided to put the tea in a flask, so it would be warm when he woke up, and once she had done that, she sat next to him, 'I should probably get a book, or some knitting, or do something entertaining' she thought, she knew that she should be bored, watching him peacefully curled up, but she wasn't bored; she could watch him forever, and she'd never feel the tedium. Every now and then he'd stir, and maybe begin to wake up, but Clara would lay her hand on his cheek and stroke him gently until he was under, she even thought he woke up a couple of times, but let her stroke him anyway. As she gently pushed the hair out of his face, his eyelids fluttered open, he looked up at her with a look of intense devotion, he saw her chocolate eyes gleaming at him, a smile playing across her cheeks. Perfection, that's what she was, perfectly perfect. Irreplaceable. All he could see when he looked into her round eyes was care, he knew how he felt, but he couldn't admit it.

"I'm freezing" she broke the silence when her teeth began chattering, she couldn't hold it in any longer, "I'm gonna go get my blankets"

"Don't be stupid, we can share" the Doctor was astonished that she hadn't thought of that, "unless you're worried about getting sick, or-" he stuttered, it just occurred to him that maybe she didn't want to share the blankets. Clara's stomach fluttered, as she began to climb underneath them, she felt the warmth tickle at her toes, it was delightful. The Doctor felt her icy toes come near his leg, his hairs stood up simply from the proximity,

"Better?" he muttered

"Mmmhmm" she mumbled, they were both madly awkward, and they didn't know what to say as they practically shared a bed.

"Is it alive?" The Doctor exclaimed

"No."

"Is it bigger than my hand?"

"No"

"Is it from Raxacoricofallapatorius?"

"Umm"

"I give up!" the Doctor couldn't wait any longer as patience was not his forte.

"It was your bow tie, silly" Clara giggled as she said it, how could he have not guessed that?

"Oh" he sounded more sombre now, Clara didn't know what was wrong, and she was worried. Suddenly, he leaned toward her face and pecked her on the cheek; his face grew red as she became flustered.

"What was that for?" She said, swooning slightly,

"Just for taking care of me" as he croaked this, she was touched by this, he was usually very shy in those areas, she wished he wouldn't be, all she wanted was to kiss him, but what she didn't know was that was all that he wanted, but neither could build the courage, for now.

They sat in silence for a while, and she leaned on his shoulder, he was a good head and shoulders taller than her when they stood, but when they lay at equal ground he wasn't much bigger, she rested her perfect head on his solid shoulder, and her eyelids began to flutter, but suddenly he moved, she lifted her head as he leaned in towards her once again.


End file.
